I am an Italian photographer, my name is Francesco Mercadante. I live in Reggio Emilia.
I am a painter by profession, but I have long cultivated a passion for photography. In this Portfolio “landscape of my always”, I present the images of the place where I was born: Cutro, a town in Calabria. I chose to combine the poetry of Alda Merini because I find that it fits this work of mine and that I feel deeply mine.
MY ROOTS
“My roots are firm even if they are far from their own land.
My roots are like olive wood
with arms outstretched
as if to caress the red, clayey soil that welcomes them.
My roots know of tuff dust
of almond blossom in flower
of cultivated gardens.
History and scents merge in my land, releasing sensations
of peace and quiet, where the sea and the sky
are married in a single color.
In the countryside, the ancient beams face like great ladies
there time has stood still.
I’ve been walking in my own land,
every time it’s a surprise,
I find myself
“I smile and rejoice in such beauty.”
Alda Merini
